All these requests of our father Sabas were fulfilled without delay by our most pious emperor, and all his prophecies were accomplished by the benevolent God, as we shall discover clearly in what follows. - - - He displayed much zeal in fulfilling the fourth request of the old man, and sent an architect called Theodore to Jerusalem to build the new church of the holy mother of God and ever-virgin Mary, ordering the treasury officials of Palestine to provide money for the building; while assigning the overall authority to Archbishop Peter, he charged Bishop Barachus of Bacatha with the supervision of the building works. And so through the zealous use of a large work force the new church of the mother of God and ever-virgin Mary, worthy of all praise, was in twelve years built, richly appointed and consecrated. It is superfluous to describe the size, dazzling splendor and rich decoration of this venerable edifice, since it stands exposed to our eyes and surpasses all the ancient sights and accounts that men marvel at and the Greeks have recorded in their histories. This was the fruit of the fourth request of the godly Sabas.
(transl. Price)
| Bibliography |
|---|